The Magic Bread (A story)
Sham S.Misri
A king in the guise of a common man once spotted a
gang of criminals hatching a plot. Every member of the gang had some special
power- one could put the guards to sleep, the second could open the lock of any
coffer and the third could recognise a person any time after having seen him
once. The disguised ruler got himself admitted to the gang on the plea that he
too possessed a special power- he could save a man even from the gallows by
merely shaking his beard. The king latter got them caught red handed and ordered
them to be hanged. As they were being taken to the gallows, he appeared in his
royal attire to ascertain their last wish. The one who specialized in recognizing people instantly grabbed the golden opportunity. He saved the lives
of all the three by exposing a desire that the king should shake his beard.
The tale was narrated by the agriculture minister,
Mr. Balram Jakhar, at a cabinet meeting to the then Finance Minister, Dr. Man
Mohan Singh to concede a hefty 17 % increase in support of Kharif grains. After
relating this story, Mr. Jakhar turned to the Finance Minister and said,
“Manmohan, now shake your beard and save the farming community from doom!” And
Dr. Singh readily obliged.
